Gabriel and Riley: Fifty Things
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Number fifteen is my first foray into the Intelligence fandom. Presenting our favorite CyberCom duo, Gabriel Vaughn and Riley Neal! Rated T for what may appear.
1. Prompts

****Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence _at all.****

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**Gabriel and Riley: Fifty Things**

**By: DemonClowSorceress**

**Number fifteen is my first foray into the Intelligence fandom. Presenting our favorite CyberCom duo, Gabriel Vaughn and Riley Neal!**

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#1 - Check-in

She calls him to check in every day at 6AM and 8PM, and they pretend they're not sneaking glances at each other through their windows.

#2 - Satellite

Seeing Clockwork in action - seeing _Gabriel_ in action - was incredible.

#3 - Mozart

He heaved an irritable sigh as the Turkish Waltz started up again. "Doc, you realize this could be classified as torture."

#4 - Company

"You're impossible," Riley sighed at the twin pairs of puppy-dog eyes.

#5 - Hobby

"Sonofa - " he breathed as he watched his slim, spry partner drop a man twice her size with one hand.

#6 - Sealed

He'd promised not to snoop, but circumstances being what they were, Gabriel valued his partner's well-being over her privacy.

#7 - Neosporin

"Stop being a baby and hold still."

#8 - Jargon

Riley learned to cover Gabriel's slips around uncleared personnel very early on.

#9 - Jameson

He had a lot of respect for the new girl. Not many could give as well as they got.

#10 - Bad

"Cheer up, Riley. At least it isn't - "

#11 - Worse

"If you say it, I swear to God I will punch you."

#12 - Sync

They move, think, and fight with a fluidity most partners can never achieve.

#13 - Shield

Her job was to always come between him and danger. But someone needed to protect her too.

#14 - Confirmation

A close scare in the field had Gabriel reaching over every few seconds to make sure she was actually there.

#15 - Clockwork

"I thought you said Weatherly didn't get to you," Riley said, eyeing the book in his hand.

#16 - Curls

He'd seen her hair loose before, but nothing like this.

#17 - Emasculation

It was definitely the wrong choice of words.

#18 - Marine

Seeing him stand "at attention," Riley smiled and thought, _Some things never change_.

#19 - Watch

She kept it long after that mission to Mexico, frozen on the moment she led him to her location.

#20 - Twenty

Nobody understood why Gabriel asked Jameson to spot him some cash. When asked why, he only said, "I owe Riley."

#21 - Mother

Mary Vaughn smiled as the brunette blushed. She was many things, but blind was not one of them.

#22 - Serpent

Mei Chen wasn't the only temptation he had to resist.

#23 - Frankenstein

Sure it bothered her that people thought he wasn't human, but it bothered her more when he believed them.

#24 - Conflict

She was the enemy. So why was it so damn hard to shoot her?

#25 - Lillian

After watching their interactions in the field, the signs were clear even to the rawest agent.

#26 - Faraday

After a day in the protected safehouse, Riley was about ready to shoot him herself.

#27 - Compass

"I knew you'd find me."

#28 - Display

All day he saw data superimposed over reality - except when he looked at her.

#29 - Movies

"Can't believe you've never seen this series," Riley said, placing a bowl of popcorn between them on the couch.

#30 - Virus

He clutched his head and screamed as his mind scrambled to protect itself.

#31 - Mei

She was the Eve to his Adam, and they could be gods together. But he only wanted to be a man.

#32 - Infected

He couldn't relax until the needle was in her arm and the plunger dropped.

#33 - Scars

Neither one could say they made it through life without some marks.

#34 - Robot

It took all her considerable self-control not to punch the man. Instead she growled, "_His_ name is Gabriel."

#35 - Suture

"Where'd you learn field surgery from? Your mother?"

#36 - Nelson

"Boys and girls, our sucky day has just decided to suck harder."

#37 - Lunch

Sometimes, they just had to get away for a quiet bite.

#38 - Priority

He didn't know why he yelled "Riley's been hit!" before relaying their situation.

#39 - Tie

"Feels like a damn noose around my neck," he grumbled as he tugged at the silken knot.

#40 - Shenendoah

He couldn't have prescribed a better cure for his boy's broken heart.

#41 - Stained

Neither of their hands were clean.

#42 - Finalist

One of six potential protectors. What made Riley Neal edge out her competition?

#43 - Volunteer

Only a desperate man would do it. Or a man with nothing to lose.

#44 - Jedi

He had far too much fun remote-activating everything within the building and scaring the newbies.

#45 - Karaoke

Gabriel's jaw dropped when his partner's sexy voice purred through the microphone.

#46 - Heart

Some people think he doesn't have one because of his chip, but Riley knows better.

#47 - Thriller

"You never did explain how you got that code name."

#48 - Tequila

Gabriel brought out the old, dusty bottle whenever they had a rough day.

#49 - Jukebox

Riley smirked when a country song came out of the speakers.

#50 - Partners

Through thick and thin, they stand as equals against the threats aimed at their country.

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**I'm so sad they cancelled this series! Oh well, at least we've got the fanfiction!**

**One-shots to follow? Yay or nay?**


	2. Check-in

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence._**

**Prompt #1: Check-in - She calls him to check in every day at 6AM and 8PM, and they pretend they're not sneaking glances at each other through their windows.**

**Words: 601**

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He's come to expect the early morning wakeup call.

As a former Delta Force operative, Gabriel Vaughn is no stranger to waking up at the crack of dawn. He's rolled out of canvas bags combat-ready with less sleep than the six hours he currently pulls.

So when he starts bitching to his bodyguard about losing beauty sleep, she knows that he's only trying to make her laugh.

Riley Neal. Protocol in a power suit. She saved the President's daughters and ended up getting stabbed. She shot her stepfather in self-defense.

But that's not everything about her. She's a woman who sees the world in every shade of black and white. She thinks herself bulletproof, but worries about saving everyone.

Gabriel knows her service record and the contents of her sealed file, but he wants to know more. More about the woman aside from what he learnt on the Web. So when the day draws to a close, he enjoys wheedling a woman as entertaining as she.

God knows she needs help winding down after what he puts her through.

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She's come to enjoy the last-checks call.

As a former member of the Presidential Detail, Riley Neal is all about double-checking that her protectee is safe for the night. She's lost count of how many times she's forgone sleep to make sure those under her protection are safe and sound.

So when she stands on her balcony to call her charge, she knows that he sits on his kitchen counter next to the window just to give her some peace of mind.

Gabriel Vaughn. Risk-taker with a side of snark. He comes from a long line of Army heroes. He's lost his wife to terrorists not once, but twice.

But that's not all he is. He's a man who sees the world enhanced with code. He thinks himself invincible, but worries that he's become something not human.

Riley knows his service record and some of his life before the Clockwork project, but she wants to know more. More about the man she's been assigned to protect. So after a particularly stressful mission, she enjoys teasing a man as playful as he.

Gods knows he needs to talk things out after a long day of saving the world.

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In the morning, he pretends that he just woke up. She smirks and calls him out every time. They chat for the few brief minutes it takes her to climb their apartment steps - down hers, up his - and knocks on his front door. They hang up in tandem and start their day together.

In the evening, she calls just after they locks their doors. They take up their respective positions - Gabriel on his kitchen counter, Riley on her balcony - and pretend not to be watching each other as they talk. He'll make a quip, she'll retort with something vaguely sexual, then one or both will breach whatever delicate subject was touched on during their recent mission. Just before a breakthrough is made, someone will retreat behind their walls and the call will end with more questions than answers.

The calls used to be routine. Another protocol to follow. Now they serve as a lifeline. A way to touch base and get the truth from a very secretive person away from their nosy but well-meaning coworkers.

God knows something will force this to change as well. But that change was not to come for a long time.

For now, this was enough for them.

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**And here we go again!**

**Drop a review on the way, wouldja please?**


	3. Satellite

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence_.**

**Prompt #2: Satellite - Seeing Clockwork in action - seeing _Gabriel _in action - was incredible.**

**Words: 855**

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It was two seconds after he identified the gangsters that Riley thought, _So this is what__ Clockwork is capable of. _Half a second later though, she was body-slamming him hard enough to make the man stumble out of the line of fire. She barely had time to think _He couldn't see that coming? _before the bullet tore through her flesh.

Gabriel hauled her back behind the van. "You took a bullet for me, what the hell are you doing?" he snapped.

"My job!" she snapped back, checking her magazine.

The resulting hail of gunfire all but drowned out the comm channels. Somehow Gabriel managed to hear and respond to Lillian, leaving Riley time to compartmentalize the pain in her shoulder and shoot back at the Chinese thugs. The next thing she knew, they were on the move.

Gabriel was effectively heroic, bodily hauling her in the door and clearing the paintballers with a single gunshot. That image shattered when Huang Fu and his thugs pinned them down in the dark. As she was still trying to breathe through the pain, Riley was somewhat useless at the moment.

In retrospect, taking cover inside a techno-blasting, blacklight-drenched, neon paint-splattered pseudo-battleground was not the best tactical idea. Her white blouse effectively put a neon ice-blue target on her chest. But since she was bleeding from a bullet wound in her shoulder, Riley figured she wouldn't be blamed for the poor choice of cover. Especially since it wasn't her call.

"Need that satellite!" Gabriel snapped, ducking back behind their meager cover. Riley couldn't hear Lillian's answer over the gunfire and Chinese techno music. Amos must have said something, because Gabriel's next words were a stressed, dry retort of, "Now would be good, Amos."

Riley took a moment to check her magazine. Counting the one round in the chamber, she had three shots left. "Gabriel, I'm running low on ammo." Another bullet impacted just above her head. "Tell me you've got a plan."

He didn't seem to hear her. His head tilted slightly to the left. "Got satellite infrared." Gabriel glanced up, then his eyes darted around the paintball field. He checked his gun's magazine, chambered a round, and stood up.

His first shot took out the attacker to their left. Riley watched in amazement as he slowly circled their position. Her eyes widened as Gabriel shot another Chinese thug. She couldn't understand where this accuracy came from. It was pitch-dark save for the fluorescent paint splatters, and nothing could be heard above the Chinese techno. How in the world could he -

_Wait._ _He said s__atellite infrared. Infrared reads body heat. _When she looked over the top of the obstacle, it was just in time to see Gabriel shoot one more thug with perfect accuracy. In the dark. With one shot.

_So this is Clockwork_. When he'd done it with her personnel record it had been a cute but annoying parlor trick. Now it was something especially fascinating to watch him use this ability to save both their butts with the deadly accuracy of a trained U.S. soldier. Now Riley could understand, just a little bit more, how vital it was to keep this man safe. What if someone got ahold of him? What if he turned on the US? What if he died?

Oh God, did she have her work cut out for her. And oh God, she was supposed to be saving him, not the other way around.

"Riley, c'mon!" His voice shattered her thoughts as his hand wrapped about her elbow. Gabriel hauled her onto her feet and gave her a look that asked if she was ready. She was about to answer when she registered movement over his shoulder.

_He missed one_. If they'd had time and he could see, she would have rolled her eyes.

Instead, Riley used Gabriel to steady herself and shot the thug down. Gabriel glanced back at the thug, then at Riley with a look of surprise. She shrugged it off with a slight grin. With a last glare of _We'll talk about this later_, they booked it out of the paintball arena as fast as Riley could run.

"Lillian's got EMS rolling. They'll be here within five minutes," Gabriel said as he set Riley down on the back steps. "Take it easy."

"I've been shot before, Gabriel. I know how to handle it." She kept her breathing even as she holstered her gun. "Gotta admit, that whole satellite thing was pretty amazing."

Gabriel smirked. "Was that appreciation I just heard?"

"Don't get too caught up in the details." She gave him a piercing stare. "But yes, I appreciate it. Saved our butts, didn't it?" A smirk tugged at her lips. "Even though you missed one."

He scowled. "Hey, I would have caught him."

"Would've caught one in the back of the head, you mean."

"Would not."

The fight would have gone on longer, but the ambulance rolled up seconds later.

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**Yes, an update! Thine eyes do not deceive thee!**

**Apologies, my life has gotten severely hectic in recent months and this chapter HAS NOT *glares at chapter* been cooperating.**

**Review please!**


	4. Mozart

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence_.**

**Prompt #3: Mozart - He heaved an irritable sigh as the Turkish Waltz started up again. "Doc, you realize this could be classified as torture."**

**Words: 531**

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"Remind me why we're doing this again, Doc."

Dr. Cassidy fussed with one of the computers. "Because you were just hacked by an enemy agent and almost killed your boss and handler, not to mention nearly delivered a classified list of potential chip recipients to said enemy agent."

Gabriel sighed heavily. "But the Turkish Waltz? Do we really have to use this again?"

"It's a familiar song with easily recognizable cadences and rhythms. Your brain needs such familiar patterns to settle back into its rhythm, for lack of a better term." After one last fiddle with the computer, Dr. Cassidy moved over to the iPod docking station and hit PLAY.

He was really beginning to hate that music player. Really hating the rise and swell of the Turkish Waltz. But he knew every key change, every chord, every note in the entire composition. That, of course, was the point of the exercise.

After a minute of music, Dr. Cassidy input a series of commands into his computer. "You ready for a simple chip exercise, Gabriel?"

"Ready and willing."

"All right then. Access this terminal and see if you can locate the Athens file."

Gabriel couldn't help the angry curl of his lip. Hearing the name of that hated list stirred up more than a little resentment for Cassidy and Lillian. "I thought you took it off the servers after the Chinese infiltration."

"I've inserted a dummy copy into the computer for the purposes of this exercise." Cassidy snapped his fingers twice with a smile. "Chop chop, Gabriel. Start searching."

The childish urge to stick out his tongue couldn't be helped. Then Gabriel, with the Turkish Waltz blasting in his ears, started chipping the servers.

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"So?" Riley couldn't help asking with a grin as her partner stepped out of the lab. "How did it go?"

"Fine."

She gave him a look at his clipped answer. "So why do you sound annoyed?"

"Because I am." Gabriel groaned and rubbed his temple. "I can't get that stupid song out of my head. It's bugging me."

"You know the best way to get a song out of your head?"

"Do tell."

"Hum the last part of it. It tricks your brain into ending it."

"Problem is, it's the Turkish Waltz."

"Ugh. Unless it's classical." Riley winced sympathetically. "Then we have no choice but Option Two."

His partner's smirk should have warned him against it, but Gabriel couldn't stand having the Turkish Waltz on mental repeat any longer. So he wearily sighed and asked, "And that is?"

And that's when she started humming. After only ten seconds, it had replaced the Turkish Waltz. Gabriel's eyebrows shot up as he gave Riley an incredulous look. "It worked."

"You sound impressed. I don't know if I should feel honored or insulted."

"Definitely honored. Having a chip recording a song is akin to having a mental version of a skipping record." He flashed a bright, thankful smile. "What would I do without you?"

She never hesitated. "Go nuts and gripe endlessly."

"So this was just you avoiding a headache down the road."

"Always is."

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**Some cute Riliel interaction. Takes place after "Athens."**

**Happy Holidays! Please review!**


	5. Company

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence_.**

**Prompt #4: Company - "You're impossible," Riley sighed at the twin pairs of puppy-dog eyes.**

**Words: 566**

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While dumpster-diving for valuable intel, Gabriel managed to find a stray kitten among the bags. It was a weak little thing, only a scrap of speckled fur, but it snuggled into Gabriel when he picked it up. Against her better judgment, Riley had agreed to bring it back with them. At the conclusion of their mission they returned to Gabriel's apartment with the kitten in tow, despite Riley's insistence that they drop it off at a shelter.

Now, freshly bathed and towel-dried, the kitten was revealed to have black and white splotched fur and a notch in its left ear. "Chipped" was how Gabriel had described it, adding, "Just like me." It was, quite frankly, very cute. Something Gabriel had been banking on this entire time, Riley realized.

For what felt like the tenth time that day, Riley crossed her arms and gave him a glare. "You're not seriously considering keeping it."

Gabriel pouted. "Why not?"

"Because you're barely capable of taking care of yourself."

"I am so!" he said, sounding offended.

"Says the guy whose ass I save on a semi-weekly basis."

"Riley, he's a cat. Cats are self-sufficient. They only need food, water, toys, and a litterbox."

"Having a pet is a full-time responsibility. And he needs to be trained to use the litterbox."

"How hard can it be?" Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Remember, I can use the chip to learn whatever I need to know."

"Your going to rely on pet care you find via chip?" Riley repeated. A meow drew their attention back down to the cat, who was swishing his tail back and forth as he watched both humans argue.

"I think he likes it." He scratched behind the "chipped" ear and listened to the kitten's happy purr. "All right then, that settles it."

"That's the dumbest way to pick a name."

"He's not your cat, he's mine. And I'm calling him Chip."

"Well I'm not calling him Chip."

"But Riley, how can you say no to this face?" To help his case Gabriel held up the adorable creature. Two pairs of blue-green eyes looked up at Riley pleadingly.

Refusing to be swayed (no matter how cute it was) Riley leaned down and said, very firmly and clearly, "No."

The animal's tiny pink tongue darted out and licked her chin. Riley flinched back in surprise and Gabriel's grin widened. "Aww, see? He likes you. Now we have to keep him."

"_We_ don't have to do any such thing. You, on the other hand - " A loud, disgruntled mewl filled the air between the partners. They looked down to see Chip squirming in Gabriel's grip. He put the cat down, and soon there was a speckled furball darting through the apartment excitedly.

"He doesn't like when we fight," Gabriel said.

With some difficulty Riley tore her eyes from the adorable kitten's antics to re-focus on Gabriel. "As I was saying, you need to watch him. Cats are curious. Especially cats who are exploring a new environment."

"Chip will be fine."

Something hit the floor with an audible thud, followed by the sound of something breaking in Gabriel's bedroom. His eyes went wide.

"Gee," Riley said sarcastically, "I wonder what that could have been. Hope it wasn't expensive."

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**Enjoy! And review please!**


	6. Hobby

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence_.**

**Prompt #5: Hobby - ****"Sonofa - " he breathed as he watched his slim, spry partner drop a man twice her size with one hand.**

**Words: 620**

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**-Top Secret location-**

"How the hell did you _do _that?" panted Gabriel as they fled the compound. "You dropped a man twice your size!"

"I've done that before!"

"Not like that! You barely _touched _the big guy and he went down!" If they weren't running for their lives, Gabriel was sorely tempted to enter a render to see it better. "Did you use the Force or something?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't exaggerate."

He tripped over a rock and stumbled. "I'm not!"

Riley grabbed his shirt and hauled him back to his feet. The sound of barking dogs echoed behind them in the darkness. "Can't we talk about this later?"

"Fine!"

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**Several hours and a debrief later...**

Chip mewled as he rubbed against Gabriel's shin. Gabriel scratched him behind his chipped ear, eyes trained on the render he was still analyzing.

He knew Riley had hidden talents. One didn't get to be protector of the First Daughters just for being a great shot. But this - this was _unreal_.

It was like pausing scenes in a kung fu movie. Or a modern remake of the _Matrix_. He knew his mouth was hanging open. It was okay. This was seriously the coolest thing he'd _ever _seen, and he'd seen plenty.

In the render, Riley was frozen in the middle of a knifehand strike, just about to strike a man's sternum. Two others were already on their knees, clutching their midsections after taking similar strikes to the solar plexus. One guy was out cold on the ground, his nose broken and bloody from a hit that Gabriel swears he heard _whistle _through the air.

"Am I interrupting?"

Gabriel jolted back to reality, crashing the render like a teenager slamming the lid of his laptop to hide the porn he'd been sneaking. Riley stood in the doorway, a six-pack dangling from her fingertips as Chip wound himself around her ankles. Judging from the look on her face, she had a good clue what he'd been rendering.

"So, it's later." Riley sat beside him on the couch, opening a bottle and handing it to Gabriel. Chip switched his affections to Riley, who started scratching him between his shoulders. "I guess you want an explanation."

He couldn't stop his chuckle. "Good guess."

"Look, I didn't burst out of the earth a fully-formed Secret Service agent. I had other jobs before this one."

Gabriel gave her a look. "And one of them entailed being Tai Lee from The Last Airbender?"

"It's called Dim Mak, you dork. It's a fighting style that focused on hitting pressure points."

"That's not exactly something that a normal person comes across while researching dojos."

"You have my job history, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but nothing..." His words died in his throat as he took a second look. Something on the list caught his eye. "You're telling me this is from being a masseuse in college?"

"Acupressure masseuse, but yes." Riley grinned at his expression. "One client was a trainer. The job didn't last long, but he offered to train me. After I joined the Secret Service, I kept up with my training."

"You used a grand total of six hits to bring down five guys. Big guys. With guns." Gabriel shook his head in disbelief.

Riley took a long drink from her bottle. "It isn't that big a deal."

"I beg to differ. It saved my life." They sat in silence for a few more moments before Gabriel couldn't help himself. "Soooo...what else did you learn being a masseuse?"

He totally deserved the pillow to the face.

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**Many thanks to _asoulofstars_, who told me what Riley's hobby was called. Behold, the edit!**

**Review please!**


	7. Sealed

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Intelligence_.**

**Prompt #6: Sealed - He'd promised not to snoop, but circumstances being what they were, Gabriel valued his partner's well-being over her privacy.**

**Words: 690**

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He'd promised not to snoop. Besides, she'd told him the important bits already.

So there it sat in his brain, sealed per her request and bright as a burning coal, with three words decorating the front.

**Riley Neal. SEALED**.

It was like Pandora's Box. He caught himself looking it over half a dozen times, wondering about its contents.

Riley told him the bare bones of it. While protecting her mother from an abusive boyfriend, she'd killed him. Police called it manslaughter, but the courts didn't convict her, sealed the file, and let her get on with her life.

But Gabriel was a curious soul, and it burned to know more. What else happened? What did her mother have to say? What was the evidence?

As soon as he started to think that, he grew ashamed. Riley trusted him with the information, and she almost begged him to leave the rest alone. She was his partner and his friend. What kind of friend was he if he broke her trust?

So it sat on the hard drive in his brain like a sleeping dragon, always there but off-limits.

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One day, Jameson picked him up instead of Riley. Gabriel demanded to know why. The only answer he got was, "She took a week off. Personal time, she said."

Gabriel took three seconds to chip Riley's phone and found it in her apartment. Accepting Jameson's answer, he went with his temporary guardian to Angel's Bluff.

But for the whole week, he found his mind wandering. For some reason, he felt as if that first day had been important. Something about the date nagged at him. He checked his calendar, current events, even Wikipedia, but came up empty. So he cyber-flipped through news archives as he listened to Lillian and Cassidy talking about some sort of firewall update to his chip.

**LOCAL COURT DROPS TEEN MANSLAUGHTER CASE**

Gabriel straightened in his seat. The newspaper article was dated nearly fifteen years ago and was only two inches long, buried in the back of a local newspaper. There was no picture, but he locked on to the name he found.

Riley Neal.

He scanned the article for the facts, but he already knew most of them. While defending her mother, Riley had killed her mother's abusive boyfriend. Police arrested her and the local DA charged her, but with the history of abuse, nobody's heart was in it. A week after the incident, the judge dropped the case.

_A week ago_... Gabriel frowned. A week ago, Riley had started her time off. _Which meant_... "Lillian, I've got to go."

His boss looked over, clearly surprised. "Gabriel, you're in the middle of a sweep. You can't leave."

"Just reschedule me, would you? I've gotta get home."

"Why?"

"Uh..." He quickly latched on to the one thing that made sense. "I forgot to put the glasses away, and Chip has a bad habit of knocking everything off the shelves unless I kitty-proof the apartment."

He must've saved all his luck for the week, because Lillian bought it. Gabriel left Jameson behind and drove himself home. It took no time to chip Riley's cell phone and find out that she was still in her own apartment. He parked in the lot, climbed the steps, and stopped outside his partner's door. He hesitated for a moment, then drew a breath and knocked three times. "Riley?"

The door cracked open slightly. "What do you want, Gabriel?"

"Just checking in on you. Heard you took some time off." He held up the six-pack he'd picked up on the way home. "Invite me in for a drink?"

"I'm not in the mood, Gabriel."

"No funny business, I promise. Just a little talk between friends."

"I don't feel like talking."

"Then I'll talk. We both know I can talk off your ear." He gave a little smile. "You seem like you could use some company."

She hesitated for several seconds. Then she opened the door enough to let him in.

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**Review please!**


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